Source: Adapted from the CBS News segment “Some American retirees are finding the good life by going global,” available at CBS News YouTube.
Some American retirees are trading their old routines for a slower, sunnier life overseas. On the small island of Gozo, part of Malta’s Mediterranean archipelago, two Californians have done just that.
A Decision Made with Time in Mind
Mary Charlebois and Kevin Scanlon did not arrive here by accident. “Hit 70 and it’s, you know, hey, I only have so much time left. It’s time to enjoy it,” Kevin says. They came for the view, the music, and the dancing — and they found all three.
They also found something that had felt impossible back home: the ability to stop working without giving up comfort. In the United States, their Social Security payments alone would not have been enough. In Gozo, it is more than enough.
Their rent is $750 a month. Groceries cost about half of what they paid in California. They no longer need a car, and rental income from their U.S. home helps them meet visa requirements.
The Healthcare Question
For many, the issue of medical care is a deciding factor. Mary spent two days in a Maltese hospital and came away impressed. Part of their residency requires private health insurance, which is cheaper than Medicare and covers everything. “The quality of care was great,” she says.
Choosing English Over Guesswork
For Lisa Kleintjes Kamemoto, another American retiree, Malta offered something Italy could not: language familiarity. “Retiring in a country where English is widely spoken drew me here,” she explains. She navigated the visa process with the help of PricewaterhouseCoopers and now lives under Malta’s retirement program for third-country nationals.
Lisa’s Social Security payments qualify her for residency, just as they do for around 800,000 Americans living abroad. She has recreated much of her old life from Seattle: volunteering at an animal shelter, joining a Bollywood class, going to the gym, and walking everywhere. Friends and family visit regularly. “I’ve had a visitor every month since I moved here,” she says.
A Wider Trend
Jennifer Stevens, executive editor of International Living, says more Americans are looking overseas than ever before. Her publication’s seminars help them explore options for living or retiring abroad.
A recent conference in Portugal gave attendees a three-day look at life in Europe — from budgeting to house hunting. Ron Devlin, 52, from Los Angeles, attended to compare Portugal and Greece. “This was a fast-track opportunity to hear about all those countries at once,” he says.
Stevens points out that budget remains the leading motivator. “You really can live well on a Social Security check in a lot of these places — and at a level of comfort hard to match in the U.S.”
For Lisa, the choice was about more than numbers. “I knew I needed another adventure in my life,” she says. Her motto is simple: “Nothing happens unless first a dream.”
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